A BREEDING programme in the Yorkshire Dales has helped a native species claw its way back from the brink of extinction.

The white-clawed crayfish is threatened by a deadly ‘plague’ carried by the American signal crayfish, which was brought to this country in the 1970s to be farmed for food.

Britain’s last stronghold includes parts of the Yorkshire Dales and Lake District National Park but thanks to a project launched in 2003 by Natural England and the Environment Agency, the lobster-like creature is making a comeback.

Initially set up to ringfence surviving populations of white-clawed crayfish and protect them from crayfish plague, the project near Settle, which is run by Natural England ecologist Paul Bradley and Environment Agency fisheries officer Neil Handy, has become the UK’s most successful breeding programme for the native species.

“The progress of these animals has since been closely monitored and has shown an incredibly high survival rate,” said Mr Handy. “Of the 102 tiny youngsters introduced, 96 survived the first winter, 64 the second winter, and 59 survived the third winter. By 2008, 53 per cent of the original stock had survived the fourth winter to full sexual maturity.

“In the wild, only a small fraction of juvenile crayfish are likely to reach breeding age.

“This is certainly the most successful captive breeding of white-clawed crayfish in the British Isles.”

Mr Handy said that the initiative, which is supported by local farmers and fishermen, will help the establishment of other sites in the future.

The white-clawed crayfish that have been bred so far are yet to be released back into the wild, but the Environment Agency is working to eradicate the plague that is still present in a couple of becks.

Mr Handy hoped that some could be released this Autumn.

“The Environment Agency is working hard to provide a future for our native white-clawed crayfish in the northwest,” he said. “Success will ultimately depend upon the support of the wider community, keeping our rivers and streams completely free of invading non-native crayfish species.”